


Words of a Soulmate

by lelepandewritium



Series: Soulmate-amory [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Aromantic, Asexual Character, Background Relationships, Communication Failure, Developing Relationship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Polyamory, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-04 04:09:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17297495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lelepandewritium/pseuds/lelepandewritium
Summary: Akaashi’s mouth was dry, and he desperately hoped that Kuroo would be the first to speak up.Thankfully, he was.A hand was stretched out towards Akaashi, the politeness ingrained in him making him reach out to shake it before his brain really caught up to what was happening.“Hi Akaashi, my pal really didn’t do your looks justice. You’re much prettier than how he described.”Akaashi sighed, releasing the breath of air he hadn’t noticed he was holding. He smiled a bit, releasing Kuroo’s hand from his hold and looking up at him.“Thank you, he didn’t tell me you’d look so...unique.”





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Here it is, the remake of my previous story, Soulmate-amory. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> Now, I have about 3 chapter written for this and so I was thinking that for however long this writing of mine keeps up, I'll be posting two chapters a week, just to make sure I have stuff written down and everything gets posted on time haha. So, I guess expect chapters every Tuesday and Friday.
> 
> I'll keep you guys updated in case of any lags but I don't see that happening for a while.
> 
> Now what you do have to look forward to is this fic being good and LONG. I have ideas written out for this fic way after they're done with college.
> 
> And trust me they'll be high school students for many chapters to come.

Soulmates were an enigma.

There was no telling what they’d be like, what they’d look like, how they’d sound. There was no way to know what their interests were or if they’d be anything like yours. Their tastes in music, in food, clothes, sports...there was no way to tell anything. 

Most importantly, there was no way to know when you’d meet them.

The only thing you had were the words written on your skin, most unique to each individual unless you were unlucky to have something as vague as a “Hello, nice to meet you” etched into your skin. 

That wasn’t the case for Akaashi, but even then it was anxiety inducing thinking about when or how he would end up meeting his soulmates.

Would you meet them young? Old? During your mid-life crisis or just starting college? How old would they be in comparison to you? Would it be a romantic partner or a platonic?

Would it even work out with four people?

Yeah, Akaashi had 3 unique texts on his skin, each completely different from the other.

One was passionate and seemed to give off excitement. One calm with a hint of teasing (at least, he assumes). The other...scared; unsure. Detached it almost seemed.

They were all so different from each other already and these were just the first words they would speak to him. So, yeah, he was scared to meet them. He was afraid to fail and disappoint them with...himself. 

And then...what if it was all one sided? What if, he only had their words on his skin but they did not have his?

Throughout the world there was an estimated 13% of the world where soulmate marks were not mutual. There was an estimated 22% where people had more than one soulmate. 8 out of the 13% of those that were not mutual tended to be from those that had more than one soulmate. The statistics for having more than one weren’t good. Most that tried relationships this way crumpled. They failed. What if he failed? What if he was the reason they didn’t work out?

Akaashi gently shook his head, getting those thoughts out of his mind. Why was he thinking about this now? He was starting a new year in a new school. A new team with new expectations and new goals. 

A new environment where he can experience both victory and loss. Most importantly, growth. 

Fukurodani was a top notch school, not exactly easy to get into but Akaashi hadn’t worried about that. This school was his first choice and he was determined to get in.

Now he was on his way to his first meeting with his new teammates, anxiety and excitement eating away at his insides as he approached the gym. Already he could hear the squeaking of sneakers and shouts for receives.

Akaashi hesitated outside the gym’s door, huffing at how ridiculous he was being. He shook off his sudden nerves, sliding the gym door open and stepping inside, immediately gaining the attention of most of the other players in the room.

Before he could even say anything, a boy with hair spiked up like an owls dashed up to his side, a smile spread so wide on his face that Akaashi immediately found him endearing. 

“Hey hey hey! So you must be our new teammate right?”

Akaashi froze, eyes widening despite his efforts to keep his emotions in check. The space to the left of his heart burned, reminding Akaashi of the words etched into his skin, as if he didn’t know what was written there. This...was his soulmate, the burning fading away the second the thought crossed his mind. This boy was his soulmate. Who of which was slowly getting more and more confused by Akaashi’s silence.

Crap.

Say something!

But...what? It was inevitable that the next words he spoke would be written somewhere on this boy’s skin. Or would it? No, there wasn’t any time to think about this. He had to answer.

He bowed, giving into a bit of his cowardice by avoiding eye contact for this confrontation.

“Ye-...yes, I just...am glad to f-finally get to meet one of you.”

The other blinked, jaw dropping as a sharp gasp went past his lips. A beat or two of silence slipped between them until Akaashi was startled into lifting his head up by two hands grasping onto his arms. Tight and shaking but not enough to hurt.

Looking up, his eyes locked onto gold ones, practically shining in joy. He didn’t even try to stop the smile that lit up his own face in response. 

The other boy let out a noise akin to a hoot, one of his hands slipping down to grab ahold of Akaashi’s wrist in order to tug him towards the rest of their teammates.

“Oh man it’s so good to meet you too! I can’t wait to learn EVERYTHING about you this is going to be great! I’m Bokuto by the way, Bokuto Koutarou! 

Bokuto Koutarou. Akaashi mumbled the name under his breath, warmth filling him at how the name slipped past his lips.

“Akaashi Keiji, please take care of me Bokuto-san.”

“Of course! Leave it to me!”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Hey hey hey! Akaaaaashi!”

Said boy looked up in question, mind still wrapping around the fact that the man running up to him was his soulmate. 

Practice had just finished, what little there was of it anyways. The day had mostly been spent being introduced to everyone else on the team and calming Bokuto down enough to focus on what was going on around them.

“Akaaaaaaaashi?”

Akaashi re-focused himself, tilting his head in apology and giving his attention to Bokuto, thankful that he didn’t have to say anything in order to get Bokuto talking. 

So you haven’t met any other soulmates right???”

At Akaashi’s blank stare Bokuto moved on, understanding that the answer was a definite no.

“Well y’see I have met one of my other soulmates and they should maybe, probably, hopefully? -be one of yours too and I already called him up earlier because I was SUPER excited meeting you and I just HAD to tell ‘im and so he said if you’re up for it he’d love to meet you like today cuz we had planned to get lunch after school and- OH do you wanna see my tattoo for him?! Here look!”

Bokuto yanked his shirt off, startling Akaashi into covering his eyes in embarrassment until Bokuto let out a loud laugh. Peeking through his fingers, Akaashi was met with a...word? -written on Bokuto’s left bicep.

Removing his hand from his face, Akaashi squinted at Bokuto’s arm, not sure what to make of it. “Ohohoho?”

Laughing, Bokuto yanked his shirt back on, standing proudly with his hands placed on his hips.

“Yeah! Kuroo has ‘Ohoho’ on his right bicep courtesy of my first word to him. That’s his name by the way! Kuroo Tetsurou. He goes to school about an hour from here but I met him last year because our schools meet up with a couple others for a training camp.We agreed to meet for lunch at a place about 30 minutes from here by train so like I said you can come if you want but you don’t have to if it’s too overwhelming or something I’m gonna tell him ALL about you! Man he’s gonna be so jealous one of MY soulmates plays volleyball as a setter for MY team and you’re like really pretty so-”

Akaashi couldn’t help but blush as he held a hand up, causing Bokuto to slam his mouth shut and smile widely at Akaashi, excited for what his quiet soulmate would say.

“Thank you very much Bokuto-san, for the invitation. I would love to go to lunch.”

An excited hoot traveled throughout the changing room, yells of ‘shut up’ and groans bouncing off the walls soon after and causing Akaashi to smile as he watched his soulmate run away to the shower stalls, blinding smile in place for all to see.

And he called Akaashi pretty.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“You’re gonna LOVE him Akaashi he’s real nerdy and funny and kinda annoying sometimes with his blocks but that just means he’s really good which is great practice for my spikes!”

Bokuto practically bounced up the sidewalk, restless but diligently remaining by Akaashi’s side as they neared the fast food restaurant Kuroo was waiting in, none the wiser to Akaashi’s growing nerves. He wasn’t...interrupting a date was he? He’d feel awful if he put any strain on a relationship that was already there and growing.

Maybe he should have thought it through more before agreeing to come along. He was bursting in on plans that weren’t made for him.

Were Bokuto and this Kuroo already dating? If so how would they feel with him showing up in their lives? Bokuto seemed happy. At least, he hoped he was. But how would Kuroo feel about this?

His thoughts had begun to spiral through his mind, and before he knew it, they had arrived at the restaurant. 

“Come on Akaashi let’s go!”

Akaashi swallowed down the lump in his throat, following Bokuto inside and scanning his surroundings.

“Bokuto! Hey!”

Akaashi’s head snapped around to look at the voices owner, watching as Bokuto dived towards a tall boy with hair just as odd as Bokuto’s. He wore a red jacket with the word ‘Nekoma’ inscribed on the left collarbone with a cats paw directly under it.

He was a bit shocked to see that he hadn’t collapsed under Bokuto’s full weight, even managing to keep him elevated in the air with a firm hold on Bokuto’s thighs. Stepping towards them a bit, he froze when sharp eyes snapped to gaze into his own. Akaashi was unable to get a read into what the other man was thinking. Finally, Kuroo looked away from Akaashi, focusing back onto Bokuto’s rambling and laughing at whatever was being said to him.

Finally, he watched as Kuroo nudged Bokuto with his forehead, tilting his head towards Akaashi’s direction and making Bokuto release an understanding ‘oh!’.

Bokuto hopped out of Kuroo’s hold, dragging him closer to Akaashi and beaming at the both of them, looking back and forth between them like he was waiting for their first words.

Words that would, hopefully, be on each others skin. 

Akaashi’s mouth was dry, and he desperately hoped that Kuroo would be the first to speak up. 

Thankfully, he was. 

A hand was stretched out towards Akaashi, the politeness ingrained in him making him reach out to shake it before his brain really caught up to what was happening.

“Hi Akaashi, my pal really didn’t do your looks justice. You’re much prettier than how he described.”

Akaashi sighed, releasing the breath of air he hadn’t noticed he was holding. He smiled a bit, releasing Kuroo’s hand from his hold and looking up at him.

“Thank you, he didn’t tell me you’d look so...unique.”

Kuroo blinked, releasing a sharp laugh that made many heads turn to look at them but that only warmed Akaashi. He reached a hand up to clutch at his jacket in mock offense, expression turning teasing.

“Oh my poor heart! How rude Akaashi, I expected better from you. My own soulmate! Bokuto where did you find him?”

Kuroo turned to Bokuto with a playful pout receiving a laugh for his efforts.

“He’s my kouhai! He’s part of the volleyball team!”

A hiss escaped from Kuroo, a glare being sent Bokuto’s way which was only met by a wide grin.

“You cheat! Having a soulmate be part of your team. Hey Akaashi, transfer to Nekoma we’re WAY better!”

Akaashi huffed out a laugh as Bokuto and Kuroo began to bicker, following them as they began to make their way to the cash register to put in their orders. Kuroo stopped his bickering to look over at Akaashi with a grin, placing his hand over a rambling Bokuto’s mouth to muffle him.

“Get whatever you want Akaashi, I’m paying today.”

Kuroo shook his head as Akaashi began to try and refuse, waving away his concerns.Shrugging, Akaashi backed down and decided to just go easy on Kuroo’s wallet for now, ordering two meals and raising an eyebrow at Kuroo, receiving only a grin in response. Kuroo put in his own order before turning to Bokuto, slipping an arm around his shoulders and squeezing.

“Okay Bo, your turn.”

Bokuto smiled, less wide than Akaashi had gotten used to. He watched as Bokuto ordered a salad and a water, hesitating only briefly until Kuroo squeezed his shoulder, adding a burger to his own order. 

That was...interesting. 

Tilting his head, Akaashi refrained from making a comment, sitting down at a table with the other two once they received their food.

Akaashi grabbed his two burgers, one in each hand and alternating between taking bites of the two, trying not to stare as Bokuto ate slower than he’d imagine someone with his kind of energy would.

“So Akaashi, what position do you play in volleyball?”

Turning to look at Kuroo, he swallowed his food and wiped his mouth with a napkin before replying.

“I’m a setter, it’s the position I was most comfortable with when I started playing in middle school.”

“Hooooo, how lucky for Bokuto then. I wish you luck keeping up with this guy.”

Bokuto hooted in offense, beginning to bicker with Kuroo again. Anyone else would probably find this annoying but Akaashi couldn’t help but feel fondness settle within him.

He picked his burgers back up, keeping half an ear on the other 2 as he finished eating. Once he was done he looked down at the others food. Kuroo was almost done but Bokuro had only eaten half of his salad, his burger going untouched. 

“Bokuto-san, Kuroo-san, as much I enjoy watching you two bond, your food is getting cold.”

Bokuto and Kuroo’s mouths instantly shut, turning to look at Akaashi with wide, guilty eyes.

“We’re sorry Akaashi we didn’t mean to ignore you-”

“Yeah yeah! Kuroo and I kinda start up sometimes and it’s kinda hard to stop-”

“Kenma or Yaku usually stop us if their around-”

“Or Konoha or Komi too like that one time when-”

“BOKUTO we promised never to speak of that ever again don-”

“OH, right, okay, nevermind Akaashi but-”

Akaashi snorted, lifting a hand up and quieting the other two.

“Really you don’t need to worry about it. I’m not very talkative myself so I enjoy just listening to you two.”

Kuroo and Bokuto stared at Akaashi with wide eyes, slowly turning to look at each other as wide smiles spread on their faces.

“Holy shit Kou!”

“He’s perfect Tetsu!”

It took several more minutes for Akaashi to calm the two down, bowing to the other patrons in apology once they started using their inside voices. 

Once Kuroo had finished with his own food, he reached over and unwrapped Bokuto’s burger for him, leaning in close and whispering something Akaashi couldn’t hear into the others ear.

It seemed to be all the encouragement Bokuto needed, he started eating more steadily, hesitating less with every bite.

Akaashi was curious but he refrained from saying anything. He could get all the information he needed from watching. At least now he knew to keep an eye on Bokuto’s eating habits at school.

He was definitely going to be taking bigger lunches from now on.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“-and Kenma ignored me! Can you believe it?! Here I was offering my help and he completely refused me. He even locked me out! I had to climb up to his window so I could-”

“You climbed his window? You stalker.”

“Hush Bokuto I’m telling a story here! His house is my house he locked me out of my OWN house.”

Akaashi smiled in amusement, clearing his throat to get the other boys attention.

“Bokuto-san, Kuroo-san, thank you for inviting me out with you today but I really should be going home now. I was supposed to be home at 5.”

“Eh?! Akaashi that was almost an hour ago!”

“I know Kuroo-san, that’s why I have to go now.”

Kuroo sighed, Bokuto deflating next to him. Did...did his hair flop down? Whatever he wasn’t going to question that.

“Alright, c’mon, we’ll walk you to the train station.”

It was a quick trip to the station, filled with chatter from the other two with Akaashi occasionally adding in his own 2 cents. Before arriving, Bokuto had smuggled Akaashi’s phone away from him and punched in his and Kuroo’s numbers, making him promise that he would text them later that night, no matter how late it was.

Akaashi accepted and quickly hopped onto his train, sighing as the doors slipped shut 2 seconds after he’d stepped through. Looking out the window, he smiled as he saw Kuroo and Bokuto waving at him, only leaving once the train had begun to move.

They raced off, finally leaving Akaashi to his own thoughts. But who was he kidding, he was going to be thinking about them for the rest of the night.

He could finally feel exhaustion weighing him down. He’d met two of his soulmates today, 2 more than he’d imagined he’d meet that day. 

Bokuto Koutarou.

Kuroo Tetsurou.

Two charming men that he could see himself sticking by for the rest of his life, whether that be romantic or platonic. 

Akaashi looked down at his legs, staring at the spot above his right knee. It almost felt like the words were burning him.

One more. Just one more.


	2. First sign of trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullooo, so I'm making great progress with this fic so far so I decided to go ahead and post up another chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!

“Hey, Kuroo?”

Kuroo hummed, letting Bokuto know he was listening without lifting his head off the armrest of the couch. 

“You know how we said we wouldn’t date until our other soulmates came along so we would all be on the same page?”

Another hum, this in agreement.

“Well, did we actually stick to that? Cuz everyone always thinks that we’re dating and don’t believe us when we say we aren’t and stuff. And I mean we don’t kiss or anything- not that I don’t want to bro you’re damn fine and your lips look super soft- but we do a lot of other things that are coupley.”

Kuroo sighed, finally lifting his head up and looking down at Bokuto.

“Geez Bo, I mean, we are pretty touchy with each other but I’d say we’re, well, super close to each other so that’s not really weird. Friends can be like that, I snuggle with Kenma plenty y’know? I mean, you’re laying on top of me right now for one, I don’t think you could get any closer to me.”

Bokuto pouted up at Kuroo, snuggling further up his body until he could press his face into the crook of Kuroo’s neck. Hah! Proved him wrong.

Kuroo snorted, lifting a hand up to pet through Bokuto’s hair, used to the rough feel of the gel he usually used to put his hair up in his owl style.

“Good job Bo. Anyways, we’re really close. That doesn’t necessarily have to mean that we’re dating. That’s, an official thing we have to agree to. And we already agreed that we would wait. We found Akaashi in less than a year of us two meeting each other. Who knows, maybe next week or next month, maybe next year we’ll meet our last soulmate.”

Bokuto hummed, staying quiet for a second as he tried to gather his thoughts.

“I guess you’re right, but, I don’t think Akaashi sees it that way. Actually, we haven’t told him anything? We never talked about the whole us thing in these like, 5 weeks we’ve known each other. And he seems kinda...distant? With us?”

Kuroo frowned, pressing his cheek against Bokuto’s hair, ignoring the prickly sensation. 

“What do you mean distant?”

“Like, he hasn’t really talked with us about it outside of acknowledging that we ARE his soulmates. You know that most of the time when we invite him out with us he’ll say no and he sometimes hesitates like he’s thinking up some kind of excuse for why he can’t go.”

Bokuto frowned, lifting a hand up to his mouth in order to chew on a nail, but before he could Kuroo grabbed it and pressed the hand to his chest, making Bokuto huff and grip onto his shirt instead.

“Do you...think he doesn’t like us? What if he doesn’t want us as soulmates and he’s getting tired of us? What if it’s just me? I mean, I know I can be a handful sometimes...a lot of the time. I try really hard to keep my moods in check and I think I’m better than I used to be but what if Akaashi doesn’t like that what if he-”

“Koutarou.”

Bokuto jolted to a stop, sheepishly looking up at Kuroo before pressing his ear up against his chest, trying to pace his own breathing with Kuroo’s regulated ones. 

“Kou come on, you know that these past weeks, the one thing we definitely learned about Akaashi is that he has zero tolerance for things he has no time for. You don’t see the way he looks at you when you’re rambling, He gets these soft eyes and I KNOW that he adores you, just like I do. Now c’mon, spike those pesky thoughts outta your brain for now. We’ll talk to him alright? We’ll clear things up. He probably jumped to conclusions about our relationship, that’s all.”

Bokuto nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing up at Kuroo’s reassurance. 

“I really wanna learn more about Akaashi. Everything about him!”

Kuroo laughed, hugging Bokuto close and resting his head back on the armrest. 

“Me too Bo.”

They laid there in silence, Bokuto almost falling asleep when Kuroo decided to open up his mouth.

“So. You wanna kiss me huh? That’s pretty gay bro.”

Bokuto burst into laughter, shoving Kuroo’s head further into the armrest.

“Oh my god shut up!”

\- - - - - - - - - - -

“Akaaaashi?”

Akaashi looked up at the call of his name, immediately flushing and averting his eyes.

“Bokuto-san, before I answer any question you might have, can you please go and put some clothes on?”

Bokuto tilted his head, looking down at his towel clad self and nodding, running off to go put his clothes on. 

The last time he hadn’t listened to Akaashi he had refused to toss anything Bokuto’s way for 3 days. Definitely didn’t want that to happen again!

“In that case I’ll just ask you while I’m changing okay?!”

Sighing, Akaashi went back to tying his shoes, willing the blush on his face to go away before sitting himself down on the bench in the locker room. 

“Yes Bokuto-san?”

“Well I wanted to- or well me and Kuroo-”

“Kuroo and I, Bokuto-san.”

“RIGHT, Kuroo and I wanted to talk to you about something so I wanted to know if you wanted to come over to my house today so that we could, well, talk.”

Akaashi swallowed, anxiety beginning to settle heavily in his stomach as a lump started to form in his throat.

“...Yes. I can come over today. Is there...what did you want to talk to me about?”

Bokuto finally rounded the lockers, pausing in front of Akaashi and smoothing down his shirt. His expression was pinched, nerves clear in the way Bokuto shuffled from foot to foot.

“It’s...uh, well, I don’t think I should say? Kuroo and I wanna talk about it with you together and I don’t think I could do it by myself so. But it’s not bad! Definitely not!”

Akaashi nodded his head, taking in a deep breath as he began to play with his fingers. It was a nervous tic he hasn’t been able to break.

“Okay, Bokuto-san.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - -

Akaashi had been at Bokuto’s house for 30 minutes now, silence spreading between them as nerves began to fill them both. Where was Kuroo? He wanted to get this talk done and over with because honestly this silence between them right now was really starting to get to him.

He wanted noisy Bokuto back. 

It was another ten minutes before there was finally a knock on the door, Bokuto launching to his feet and gunning for the door before Akaashi could even fully turn his head around. 

There was a happy shout from Bokuto that made Akaashi shrink even further into himself. Bokuto must have really hated sitting alone with him just now. Great, one of his soulmates already couldn’t handle his presence. 

They were definitely going to tell him that they didn’t want him. 

Akaashi snapped out of his negative thoughts, watching as Kuroo walked in with Bokuto plastered to his back.

Kuroo paused when he saw Akaashi, smiling warmly at him. That only made Akaashi more nervous.

“Heya Akaashi, how’ve you been?”

“...Fine.”

Kuroo sighed, making his way over towards the living room and sitting himself and Bokuto down on the couch across from him. Raising an eyebrow, Kuroo crossed his arms and stared at him.

“...Fine. I’m nervous. About this.”

A smile slipped onto Kuroo’s face.

“That’s understandable, Bo and I are pretty nervous too. S’nothing bad so if you’re thinking that we’re gonna say that we hate you or something you can stop thinking that right now because we don’t. We like you a lot, what little there is that we’ve learned of you anyways. That’s...kinda the problem there actually.”

Akaashi could feel some of the weight on his heart ease off, but now he was all the more confused. What did they mean by that?

Bokuto curled up on the couch, throwing one leg over Kuroo’s lap who of which immediately rested a hand on his ankle.

“See Akaashi the thing is that we haven’t really talked about the whole us thing. Like, the soulmate thing. We think that you probably think that we’re dating but, we’re not. We just touch a lot cuz it’s comforting and we’re really close and we wanna be really close to you too but you kinda don’t let us get close which is a real bummer but I think that’s kinda our fault too and-”

“Kou.”

Bokuto twitched, letting out a laugh and burying his face into Kuroo’s shoulder, mumbling out a sorry.

Akaashi only blinked, mind blank as he tried to understand what Bokuto just said to him.

They weren’t...dating?

“What?”

“Um...like Bo said we’re not-”

“Nono wait I heard you but...I find that really hard to believe. I mean this whole time Bokuto-san has been crawling into your lap?”

Kuroo looked down and lo and behold, there Bokuto was, scooting the last few inches to sit comfortably in Kuroo’s lap.

“Oh...well yeah. We’re really...touchy with each other. We like to cuddle and hold hands. It’s not like we wouldn’t date each other, we’d actually love to very much. But we had decided to wait until we met all of our soulmates. That’s what we forgot to talk to you about. I guess, we were in full understanding of that, so we just forgot to put you in the loop. We’re really sorry if we pushed you away because of our fuck up. We WANT to get to know you Akaashi, and we want you to get to know us. So, please. Don’t avoid us.”

“Yeah ‘kashi, sorry. I kept getting really down and I just couldn’t...make myself talk to you. S’why I needed Kuroo. He’s better at that stuff. Soulmates y’know? They help fill in those empty bubbles.”

Akaashi shook his head, wringing his hands together and looking at the floor. He couldn’t believe this. This whole time, Bokuto’s mood dropping was his fault, and all because he couldn’t make himself talk to them about his own concerns. Instead they had to, well, do this. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any tr-”

“Ah, ah, ah! Stop right there Akaashi!”

Jumping, Akaashi looked up at Kuroo, startled by the seriousness in his face.

Finally, Kuroo’s expression softened, his usual smirk lighting up his face and causing Akaashi to relax. 

“Akaashi, you didn’t cause anything. This was a mistake that happened because of all of us. It’s hard, having more than one soulmate. We’re still kids and we need to remember that. We’re going to fuck up, a lot. But in the end I think the major thing we need to remember is to COMMUNICATE. If anything is bothering us, we have to voice it. We can’t keep it quiet like we’ve been doing. No matter how hard it gets or how difficult the subject we HAVE to talk. Okay?”

Kuroo looked at Bokuto, receiving a quick nod from him, then he turned to Akaashi, eyebrow raised.

Akaashi huffed, nodding in response and smiling at the two across from him. 

Satisfied, Kuroo nodded himself.

“Good! Now that that’s settled, what about you Akaashi? Do you want a relationship out of this or do you want to keep everything platonic?”

Akaashi huffed out a laugh, looking between the two of them with a fond gaze. 

“I...wouldn’t say no to a relationship with you two. But...you’re right. It would be much better if we waited for our final soulmate. I’m...I’m glad that you two waited. Thank you.”

Kuroo and Bokuto both beamed, looking at each other before Bokuto suddenly perked up, snapping his head around to look at Akaashi.

“OH, also, is it okay if we get close and touchy with you too? Cuz it’s kinda really hard to hold back from hugging you sometimes cuz I know you get kinda tense with casual touches so I try really hard to not do it but thinkin about it that might be because you thought we were dating or something so…can we?”

Akaashi watched as Kuroo and Bokuto stared at him with rapt attention, tension visible in every one of their muscles. They must have really been holding back.

“Yes Bokuto-san, I would...love if you got close with me too. I actually really love your hugs.”

Bokuto whooped, launching himself off of Kuroo’s lap and enveloping Akaashi in his arms. A loud laugh tore out of him, shaking Akaashi’s entire frame and filling him with an immense warmth. Yes, he definitely loved Bokuto’s hugs. But…

A thinner pair of arms wrapped around Akaashi from behind, a lean chest warming up his back and a rumbling laugh, almost like a purr, sending pleasant vibrations along Akaashi’s spine.

Yeah, Kuroo’s hugs were really great too.

This was definitely the first of many issues they would have in the future, but Akaashi was confident that they’d be able to get through them all. There was nothing in the world that would ever make him give up the warmth that he was experiencing right now.

\- - - - - - - - - - - -

“Oh hey Akaashi so Kuroo accidentally adopted 5 cats and-”

“He _what_?”


	3. Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I just wanted to thank you all for the lovely messages I've received and are still being sent, they mean the absolute word to me!

“Bokuto-san, can you explain to me again how Kuroo-san managed to adopt 5 cats?”

“Oh, well, see Kuroo loves cats so if he ever sees one he’ll just run off to go and try to pet it and so when he was passing by this alley around his house he heard a lot of mewing and he went to go see what was up and he saw these 5 kittens and I’m not sure about the rest actually. Just that he adopted them. Accidentally! And his moms’ said he can only keep one and Kenma said he could take one so he wanted to ask you if you could take one cause I can’t since Chikka is kinda old and I don’t think having an energetic kitten running around would be good for her y’know?.”

Akaashi sighed, pulling his ear away from his cellphone and staring straight ahead, debating on how to convince his parents to let him have a cat. He has always wanted one. Dogs were a little too energetic for his tastes. Chikka notwithstanding, she was the calmest dog Akaashi had ever seen. She was 12 years old though.

“Mmm, I think I could take one in, if I can convince my parents. Give me an hour to call you back Bokuto-san.”

All he got back was a hoot of confirmation before the call was ended.

Shaking his head, he got up and walked out of his room, prepared to throw everything he ever accomplished at his parents feet until he got a yes.

\-------------------

“Oh man Akaashi you’re gonna love ‘em they’re so cute and small and fluffy!”

Akaashi hummed, walking beside Bokuto’s hopping form as they made their way towards Kuroo’s house.

“I’m sure they are Bokuto-san.”

All cats were cute.

Once they got to Kuroo’s street Bokuto’s energy couldn’t be held back anymore. He ran straight for the house, reminding Akaashi just how fast he could get from point A to point B. Sighing, he picked up his own pace, choosing to go at a jog instead of a full out sprint. No point in making Kuroo open the door more than once. 

The second he stepped up beside Bokuto the door got yanked open, an arm practically shoving a squawking Bokuto to the side in order to get to Akaashi. 

“Can you really keep one?!”

Akaashi blinked slowly, nodding his head at a flustered looking Kuroo.

Kuroo let out a noise that was a mix between a squeal and a shriek, confusing Akaashi greatly before a hand wrapped around his wrist in order to tug him fully into the house, barely giving him a chance to take off his shoes before he was suddenly thrust into the living room where a total of 4 cats and 5 kittens were curled up together in a pile.

Oh, that was adorable.

Kuroo gestured at them energetically, practically collapsing onto the floor.

“You can pick any one you’d like Akaashi! You get first dibs because I like you so much.”

Akaashi bit his lip, slipping onto the floor and immediately gaining the curiosity of 7 out of the 9 cats.

At least all the kittens were curious. 

He reached a hand out, wiggling his hand in front of two kittens that seemed to be almost identical. The only difference being the opposite of their colors. These two had small spots that almost looked like freckles traveling from their cheeks all the way down to the base of their tails. One was white with brown spots and the other brown with white spots.

The next kitten to step forward was a gorgeous golden color with barely visible stripes going along it’s back. This one took one sniff at Akaashi and seemed to deem him fit to sleep on, immediately climbing into his lap and curling up for a nap.

Akaashi pet the kitten for a while, secretly hoping that Kuroo would keep this one. He eventually let it settle into its nap so he could focus in on the next kitten. This one seemed less interested in him than the others, but Akaashi couldn’t help but coo at it.

This one was of a similar brown coloring like the twins, but it had patches of it’s golden sibling all around its body.

This one wandered off to go play with one of the adult cats, leaving Akaashi with the final kitten that was sat by his leg, letting out small demanding mews for attention.

Akaashi’s heart was instantly captured.

The chubbiest of the kittens was staring up at him with yellow eyes, fur pitch black in all but it’s paws, gold covering them like fancy socks. 

Decision made, Akaashi scooped the kitten into his arms, purrs immediately reaching his ears.

“Kuroo-san, I’ve made my choice.”

Kuroo looked up, fondness filling him at the way Akaashi looked at the cat in his arms. If he was this happy with two soulmates he couldn’t even imagine how he’d feel with three.

“Great, think of any names yet?”

“Mmm, not yet. I want to try and think of the perfect one.”

\---------

“Sooooo have you picked out a name for him yet? It’s been over a week Akaashi.”

Akaashi shrugged, laying on the floor with his kitten asleep on his chest.

“I haven’t decided yet. For a while I debated naming him Kuro-”

Kuroo perked up, leaning towards Akaashi with a wide grin.

“-after the color-”

He pouted.

“-but I knew that would go to your head so I decided against that.”

A grunt sounds as Kuroo flops onto the floor, Akaashi covering his mouth as he laughed and causing the kitten to wake up from being bounced up and down. He reached up to pet it’s ruffled fur, humming in apology at his angry mewing. 

“I’ll think of something soon, don’t worry.”

\----------------------

Akaashi sighed, it’d been two weeks and he still didn’t have a name for his kitten. At this rate he was going to think his name was kittykitty. 

He stared at the kitten asleep on a golden pile of fur, Bokuto’s dog Chikka staying perfectly still for the precious cargo she had on her back. 

Huffing in amusement, Akaashi reached a hand out and pet her head, muttering a ‘good girl’ under his breath.

“Still haven’t thought of a name ‘Kashi?”

Akaashi shook his head, barely twitching at the arms that wrapped around him from behind. He was finally getting used to all this, the hugs and the cuddling and the cheek and nose and forehead kisses he would get from his soulmates almost every day.

They had begun to learn when he wanted and didn’t want their affection and he was learning theirs.

Sometimes Bokuto couldn’t stand to have the movement of his hands constricted and the way he kept them elevated closer towards his chest was usually a tell for that.

Kuroo sometimes wanted them there but 3 feet away, silence wrapping around them like a blanket.

Sometimes they both wanted to be hugged so tight they thought they’d explode.

It was getting easier and easier to tell what they needed and what wasn’t wanted with every week that went by. 

Sighing, Akaashi leaned back against Bokuto’s chest, his hand continuing to rub Chikka’s head as she began to doze off.

Maybe tomorrow he’ll think of a name. 

\--------------------

“I got it!”

Kuroo and Bokuto blinked in sync, both surprised to see such a wide smile on Akaashi’s face. It was absolutely ADORABLE. 

“Uh, got what ‘Kashi?”

Akaashi reached down and lifted up a grumpy kitten, holding him up for the other two to see like he was reenacting the lion king.

“A name, I picked a name! Meet Moonlight.”

After 3 and a half weeks Akaashi had finally found the perfect name for his kitten. There was definitely no better name out there.

Kuroo hummed, grinning as he reached out to take the kitten from Akaashi, listening to it’s angry mews with humor clear in his eyes.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you moonlight, happy name giving day!”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow.

“That isn’t a thing.”

“Oh yes it is! In this household we have name giving days!”

“Hey hey Kuroo but this isn’t your house?”

“IN THIS HOUSEHOLD...we have name giving days.”

Akaashi rolled his eyes, smiling despite his soulmates ridiculousness and taking his cat back, escaping before Bokuto and Kuroo’s bickering increased in volume.

“Moonlight...it’s a good name don’t you think?”

He looked down at the kitten, staring into those shining moon colored eyes and receiving a yawn in response. 

“Yeah, definitely a good name.”

\---------------------

“Moonlight?”

Akaashi walked around, ducking to look into all the small spaces he knew his kitten liked to crawl into when he decided he wanted to be difficult.

“Moonlight? Come on you pain in the ass cat you’re acting like Kuroo-san.”

A squawk was heard behind him, Akaashi ignoring it in favor of looking in a cracked open cupboard in the kitchen. 

Nope, not there. 

“Akaashi! How rude, here I am, prepared to escort you to my house for your first sleepover and-”

“Kuroo-san this isn’t my first sleepover.”

“-your FIRST sleepover Akaashi and you decide to stab me, straight through the heart with those harsh words of yours!”

“Yes, yes pain-in-the-ass Kuroo-san, can you help me find Moonlight now please?”

Kuroo huffed in the background,strutting off to go do as he was asked and causing a smirk to light up Akaashi’s face. 

While Kuroo was looking for Moonlight, Akaashi went about pouring out the cat food and making sure the water bowl was filled to the brim. With everything set up, a sequence of knocks started off at his door, causing Akaashi to sigh as he made his way over there.

“Hey hey hey Akaashi!”

The second he pulled the door open Bokuto reached out and snagged Akaashi up in a hug, laughing as he carried him back inside, shutting the door with his foot.

Rude.

“Oh! Hey Moonlight!”

Akaashi blinked, looking down at the floor from where he was still being carried and spotting Moonlight by their feet, watching as he sniffed the ground around Bokuto, peering behind them for something that wasn’t there. 

“Oh, sorry Moonlight, no Chikka today.”

An angry mew was directed towards them, the kitten beginning to strut off until Akaashi slipped out of Bokuto’s hold and snagged the kitten up.

“No you don’t Moonlight, you have to eat before I go. Where were you anyways?”

All Akaashi got in return was a mew, the kitten hopping up to his shoulder and curling up by his neck. 

“I swear he likes Chikka more than me.”

Akaashi set Moonlight down on the floor, making sure he started to eat before straightening back up. Arms wrapped around him from behind, causing him to slump back and let out a deep sigh.

“Awww, don’t let it get to ya Akaashi. Chikka’s just super lovable! With how calm she is and how she’s super helpful when I’m having a low day; OH did I tell you that she climbed into bed with me yesterday?! She hasn’t done that in a while she’s so great!”

Akaashi smiled, turning around in Bokuto’s arms and hugging him back, humming as he continued to ramble about his dog.

“Oyaoya? What’s this? Having a cuddle party without me? I’m hurt!”

Akaashi peered around Bokuto’s shoulder, shrugging in Kuroo’s direction and pressing his face back up against Bokuto’s shoulder.

He was comfortable okay?

“Oh! Kuroooo!”

Bokuto shuffled backwards without letting go of Akaashi, lifting him up as if he was dead weight and spinning around so he was crushed in between Kuroo and Bokuto’s chests. It was a bit too tight but he couldn’t really bring himself to voice any complaints.

It had taken some 4 months or so for Akaashi to get truly comfortable with all this. With every week it was getting easier to tell when Bokuto needed a crushing hug or when he needed words of encouragement to pick him back off the ground.

Easier to tell when Kuroo wanted them close to cuddle or at home, safe and secure and ready to spend hours texting on the phone because he didn’t feel like talking.

It was getting equally as easy for them to tell what Akaashi needed. When he needed a firm pat to the back to keep his thoughts from spiraling or his hand held to settle the shaking from the anxiety beginning to consume him.

They were learning how to be there for each other, what worked and what didn't. And yes, there were mistakes now and again. Like the time Akaashi almost had an anxiety attack from Bokuto and Kuroo’s noise levels getting too high, unable to hear Akaashi’s quiet pleas for them to quiet down.

Or when Kuroo’s anger was beginning to get a hold of him, Akaashi not helping with his indifferent tone and responses. 

Or when Bokuto’s depression started to flare up, going unnoticed by Akaashi while Kuroo was off in an impromptu training camp. It took nearly 3 days for Akaashi to notice something was wrong. 

So, no, they weren’t perfect yet, far from it. But they were getting better. 

“Oh yeah, ‘Kashi! You’re gonna have first pick for the movie today cuz it’s your first time sleeping over!”

Akaashi hummed,smiling into the crook of Bokuto’s neck.

“First pick, what an honor.”

“I know right?! Now let’s go let’s go!”

Bokuto jumped away from them, running over to grab Akaashi’s backpack and gunning it for the door, the other two leisurely following after him.

This would definitely be a good weekend. 

\-------------------

“...What?”

Bokuto grinned at Akaashi, motioning towards him.

“Can we see your tattoos? I’ve never seen them! And I’ve tried but you change really fast so I never get to peek at them--”

“Wow Bokuto, trying to peek in on your setter? For shame!”

“Shut up Kuroo you’ve tried to too! I saw you back when we were doing the training camp!”

Kuroo scoffed, looking away from them both as to hide his embarrassment.

“Well, I was curious okay!”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow at his soulmates, shaking his head as they began to bicker. His tattoos huh…

Well, he couldn’t say that he wasn’t curious about theirs.

“Okay.”

Bokuto and Kuroo quieted down, turning to look at Akaashi with their cheeks pressed together.

“But you have to show me yours too.”

“”OF COURSE””

Akaashi huffed at their united shout,reaching down to lift his shirt up to his collarbones, rubbing the skin to the left of his heart.

‘Hey hey hey! So you must be our new teammate right?’

“OHOHOH! Kuroo!”

Bokuto slapped at Kuroo, pointing frantically at Akaashi.

“Look! That’s mine!”

Kuroo slapped Bokuto’s hand away, laughing at his excitement.

“I can see that! You’re the only one I know that says Hey hEY HEY!”

Kuroo lifted his hair up into something similar to Bokuto’s, eyes widening up to imitate him.

Akaashi barely held back his snort of laughter, letting his shirt fall down and turning around, clearing his throat to get the other boys attention as he tugged his pants down a few inches to reveal his second tattoo.

‘Hi Akaashi, my pal really didn’t do your looks justice. You’re much prettier than how he described.’

A whistle pierced the air, causing Akaashi to flush and turn around, sending a look Kuroo’s way that was only met by a smirk.

“I love that placement Akaashi!”

“Sure, anyways, I have to take my pants off for the next one so…”

Sighing, Akaashi pulled down his pants to the knees, tapping the space above his right and letting the other boys get closer in order to read the small text.

‘Yeah...I didn’t sign up for this. Thank you but I need to leave.’

The other two looked up at Akaashi in confusion, getting a shrug in reply as he pulled his pants back up, sitting himself down between them on the couch.

“...Huh. Well, a promise is a promise. Come on Bo!”

Bokuto bounced off of his seat, pulling his shirt and pants off along with Kuroo and leaning against each other, back to back.

“Ohoho!

“Ohohoho!”

They each flexed a bicep, Bokuto his left and Kuroo his right, showing off their tattoos for each other with laughter ringing out as Akaashi only covered his eyes in embarrassment.

“Hey hey Akaashi look!”

Peeking through his fingers, Akaashi almost immediately covered them again. Bokuto was in a showgirl position, boxers pulled up in order to show off his inner left thigh.

‘Ye-...yes, I just...am glad to f-finally get to meet one of you.’

Akaashi’s eyes softened, a bit of the embarrassment fading away in favor of appreciating his own words being written on someone’s skin.

That is, until Kuroo garnered his attention by turning around and pulling his boxers down enough to show off his right buttcheek, the words splayed there barely registering before Akaashi turned away.

‘Thank you, he didn’t tell me you’d look so...unique.’

“Kuroo-san you can pull your boxers back up now thank you.”

Kuroo couldn’t help but laugh, doing as he was told but remaining with his back facing Akaashi.

“Fine, fine, take my fun away. But you do have to look again so I can show you the final tattoo.”

Another sigh tore through Akaashi, reluctantly looking up at Kuroo and watching as he lifted up the hair covering the back of his neck, needing to get up and step closer in order to read the text.

‘I’m not good at that sort of thing.’

Akaashi hummed, reaching up to rub at the tattooed skin gently before turning to Bokuto in curiosity.

Bokuto reached down towards his foot, pulling his sock down until his ankle was revealed.

‘Do you have to go take a shit or?’

Akaashi coughed in order to hide his laugh, smiling at Bokuto’s deep pout.

“They’re going to be so rude to me when we first meet! Hey hey AKaashi do you think they’re gonna be talking about my face?! I think they’re gonna be talking about my face!”

“Bo they’re DEFINITELY gonna be talking about your face.”

An offended hoot escaped Bokuto, the two starting to squabble.

“Can you two put your clothes back on? There wasn’t any need for you to even take everything off.”

“Oh but Akaashi! What’s the fun in that?!”

Kuroo grinned over at Akaashi, Bokuto tucked against his side in a headlock.

They both collapsed soon enough, wrestling on the ground as Akaashi wandered off to go play with the cats.

He wondered when they’d be meeting their final soulmate.

Soon, he hoped.

He needed someone sane to help handle these two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to message me about what you think of the chapter! I love hearing about what you guys hope to happen later in the future, it gives me joy to see you guys speculating about what could happen next!


	4. Opinions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING PLEASE READ
> 
> Hey guys, so this chapter does have a mention of suicide and a description of abuse so please read carefully or even feel free to skip this chapter all together. 
> 
> This chapter is all Tsukki for those of you that do read!
> 
> I had a hard time writing this chapter. Not because I didn't know what to write but because it was hard for me to bring all this up. 
> 
> It's, a reality to how relationships won't always be perfect and how Tsukki views them.

Words written on the surface of a person's skin was normal, expected.

They were either there upon birth or not at all. Usually one line of text, sometimes more. Preferably in a language you understood. Preferably in a visual location. Preferably something easily distinguishable; unique.

Preferably only one.

Not three.

The beat of a drum rumbled its way through his ears, distracting in its rhythm and drowning out all of his other thoughts.

Thoughts of soulmates and the marks that came with them have been spiraling through his mind lately. Ever since he entered high school anyways.

Ever since the year started people have been popping up left and right, announcing that they've met their soulmate.

There was that guy in his class that met his soulmate because she was the manager for the club he had joined.

Another girl who met her soulmate in the halls of the school, on their way to third period. It had made him uncomfortable to see two girls crying as they clutched onto each other, as if they would disappear if they didn’t hold on tight enough.

One met theirs in the restroom.

Another two, separate soulmates met during gym.

In line during lunch.

Outside in the courtyard.

On the walk to school.

On the walk home.

They apparently call this the 'soul cluster'.

Or at least, that's what Tanaka-san said.

It was something that happened every year, in every school, during the first month.

It was tense for every high school student, not knowing when or if they would meet their soulmate that day, the next day. In that month.

What did he care that he didn't meet his soulmates.

What did he care if he ever did?

The marks on your skin were a blessing from god. A message written upon your skin to let you know that you would never be alone. At least, that's always been what he was told.

There were hundreds upon hundreds of movies about the marks. There were books, poems; scientific articles.

There WAS no reasonable explanation for them, so they had to be from god. Right?

What a joke.

The tattoos were a blessing from above, beautiful in it’s every line and stroke. And yet anyone that even dared to taint their skin with more marks, these handmade, were shunned and looked down upon.

Who were they to think they could do as they pleased with god's work? To take his marks and slander it with that of which not his own?

No, who were THEY, to judge people on what was done to their own bodies. People had choices, their own thoughts and opinions.

No god out there had any right to taint your skin forever.

The owner of the body that made these decisions did.

The marks, like everything else in life, was a choice. No one had to follow it if they so choose. They could find their own life, their own love.

Or, they could choose not to find love at all.

What was so great about that anyways? Relying on the world, on whatever etched the words into your skin, to choose the people in your life for you.

Sometimes relationships didn't work.

Sometimes the words were wrong.

Sometimes your soulmates weren't actually your soulmates. They were just fleeting relationships created because the words on your skin said you were meant to be.

But, they only ended in ruin, the words on your skin sharp and disfigured and blemished. Hurting, until you just couldn’t feel it anymore.

You couldn't feel a broken heart if you forced yourself not to feel at all, right?

.....

Roughly 33% of soulmates in the world didn't work out. Of the 67% that did, 29% tended to be platonic soulmates.

He couldn't envision himself in that 67%.

His attitude was bad, according to most people that met him.

He wasn't friendly or at all welcoming.

He was standoffish and sarcastic. Words aiming to hurt instead of soothe.

There was no comfort when he was involved, no soft spoken words or hopeful attitude.

He was straight to the point and on the negative side of realistic, even when that was the opposite of what someone wanted.

Especially so if you asked him.

This was the way he was, so why should he be any different just to please people. He wouldn't change for his family or anyone that wanted to be his friend.

That meant he definitely wouldn't change for any soulmate.

'They don't sound like high schoolers. But you on the other hand, maybe you should go a little crazy, like a high schooler.'

'I knew you were going to talk about my face!'

'I apologize, we didn't mean to put this kind of pressure on you.'

These words written on his skin were meant to morph him into someone worthy of love. 

Someone who could be accepted for who they were, who they forced themselves to be. Only so they could get that happy ending from every fairy tail, every best seller, every big hit movie. 

Tsukishima didn't want that. He didn't want to base his life around what other people would think of him. He had no reason to try and pleas these people.

So what if words they spoke were on his skin?

It could just turn out to be a lie in the end.

Just like his brother's relationship.

Akiteru hasn't been the same since the words on his forearm faded into an illegible dark mess, pain medication becoming a part of daily life for him while the mark still pulsed with an ache that seemed to radiate throughout his entire being.

Almost like a stitched wound inflamed with infection.

Some people were afraid of this pain, they thought they would become empty shells without their soulmates, never to really feel again.

So they stay, unhappy and hurting twice as much than they would be if they only left.  
It was hard to understand these things. How people's minds worked and their thought process when it came to the concept of soulmates.

Then again, people found it hard to understand Tsukishima's own thoughts on the issue. 

It wasn’t unheard of to heal completely from a separation. The mark would turn grey and dull, the words illegible and nearly faded to the point you could cover it up with something new if you wanted to. 

Once the heart healed, so did the mark.

There were forums built for people who dealt with their separations. Some were hurting, some healing, and some already healed, ready to hand out advice and support.

‘The world doesn’t end here.’

‘The mark has no sway over what you do with your life and how you live it.’

‘You can be happy without them. There’s always love in the world for you, regardless of whatever higher power says otherwise.’

‘Relationships aren’t a prerequisite to being happy.’

‘Healing takes time, but don’t lose faith. There will be a happy end for you.’

‘Think of the grey as a clean slate. Neither blank nor dark, both as a reminder that you yourself can fill that void and that whatever your past with THEM was, it no longer applies to the life ahead of you. ‘

Sure, even with the support, some people struggled with life. 

There were numerous reports of suicides related to the mark. The thought of it made Tsukishima uncomfortable, so he tended to avoid the idea of them all together. Not that he forgot they existed, just that he didn’t like to read about it. 

It weighed heavily on his mind when he thought of his own soulmates and his opinion of them. 

His mother tended to tell him that he should give them a chance, knowing of his own opinion on the matter. Of course sometimes it didn’t work, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t work for him. 

Soulmates tended to be designed to fit your personality. Not always of course, but there was a high chance they would like him for him and not who they imagined he could be.

He tended to scoff at that. 

Not out loud of course. 

Akiteru usually told him the same, hiding his mark from view with long sleeves and sweaters, even on warm days.

Tsukishima had trouble believing his brother when he still saw that pain in his eyes and the slouching of his shoulders. 

He wondered how Akiteru could still hold out some hope for Tsukishima. He imagined it was due to their parents and their story of their own struggle. 

His mother and father were soulmates of course, but their own marks were grey and faded. They had found each other later in life, after college and after they had settled into their own jobs, 3 towns away from each other. About 2 hours away from each other by train. 

They’d met by chance, both of them on a date with people they loved at the time. They pretended like it hadn’t happened, walking away from each other and refusing to look back. They chose to ignore the itch that started up where their own marks were, trying to put the meeting behind them. But, they usually couldn’t help the thought of each other that crossed the back of their minds here and there. 

Their marks turned black within a few days, pain only haunting them for a few more before turning grey and clear.

His mother’s relationship only lasted a few more years after that, ending easily and cleanly enough that she didn’t struggle with living out her life afterwards. 

His father however didn’t have the same luxury. His relationship was sweet and loving for a few years, letting him settle into his place in life with a hope for the future.

That is, until everything seemed to turn a 180 on him. 

His boyfriend at the time changed after losing his job. He did his best to be supportive and help but all that seemed to do was make him spiral further into the darkness of his mind. 

It started off slowly, the changes. 

At first his boyfriend would only yell at him more, apologies quick to come once he’d calmed down some.

He dealt with this easily enough. 

Then came the slamming doors, the broken plates and mirrors and punching of walls.

He dealt with this too, a sense of dread filling him. But he loved too much and too strongly to take the warning signs to heart.

Then came the ‘almost’ strikes. Hands raising up like they were prepared to bruise only for it to be brought down again, this time to cup his face and wipe the beginning of tears away, muttered apologies reaching his ears and soothing the sense of danger that began filling his mind. 

It seemed like it was beginning to get better after that. There was less yelling, less objects being flung at walls. The ‘almost’ strikes seemed to stop all together. 

It wasn’t perfect, but it was better. 

He shouldn’t have relaxed.

It seemed to happen so suddenly. His boyfriend came home from another failed interview, quiet as he came in and walked towards the living room. 

The sight of him working on his laptop, snug and warm on their couch seemed to snap something inside of him. 

He didn’t stay in that house for much longer after that. 

His father left the city soon after, finding a new job in a new location with new sceneries and absolutely no reminders of his old life. 

That’s where he met Tsukishima’s mother again, in passing on a mid-day walk.

They got to talking, becoming quick friends who supported each other. His mother helped his father heal from the abuse inflicted on him and he helped her with her struggles in her career as best he could.

It wasn’t until they reached their 30’s that they decided to start up a relationship with each other, having Akiteru when they reached age 34.

They were happy now, no regrets over how their lives decided to play out because they found each other in the end. 

Akiteru doesn’t exactly hold out hope that the same would happen to him, he’s a little more realistic than that. But he does encourage Tsukishima not to immediately cut out the idea of his soulmates.

“Tsukki!”

Tsukishima paused, turning around with just a hint of surprise to find Yamaguchi running after him. 

Yamaguchi was one of the people who found their soulmate during the cluster, sputtering his way through a greeting when Hinata brought Yachi along with him and introduced her to the team. 

It was funny at the time to see both of their faces turn a similar shade of red,muttering nonsense to each other that was hard to understand.

He was only surprised by Yamaguchi’s presence because lately he had chosen to start walking Yachi home, apologizing to an indifferent Tsukishima every time.

As soon as Yamaguchi caught up with him, Tsukishima started walking again, bringing his headphones down to wrap around his neck.

They walked in silence mostly; the usual for them. There wasn’t often words that needed to be said between them, least of all from Tsukishima. 

“Hey, Tsukki?”

Today was not a silence day apparently. 

A hum broke from Tsukishima’s throat, keeping his eyes straight ahead. 

“Do you think I’m a good fit for Yachi-san?”

Okay he wasn’t built for this kind of conversation.

Tsukishima glanced at Yamaguchi, taking in his hunched shoulders and twitching hands. This must be something that’s been bugging him for a while. 

A sigh slipped past his lips, remaining silent until they reached a park, making his way towards a free bench far away from anyone else that happened to be there. 

That was a tough question. They’d only known each other for roughly three weeks so there was no telling really how they would fit with each other in the end. 

Bluntness would have to do.

“I don’t think there’s a way to fit with a person after three weeks. There’s plenty of time for personalities and standards to change and there’s no telling if you’ll fit together a month from now or even 3 years from now. Yachi’s a nervous wreck, like you are most of the time. I’m not sure that’s a good balance but you seem to get along fine right now.”

He paused, letting his words sink into his own mind as well as Yamaguchi’s.

“I wouldn’t recommend starting a relationship right now, if that was what you wanted to do. I’d wait and give yourselves time to really settle into your own skin. But I have no place to stop you if that’s really what you want to do. Just be careful with your choices. And ask someone else for relationship advice, I’m no good at that stuff.”

Tsukishima shrugged, gazing up at a few crows that were flying around a tree, Yamaguchi looking up at them with him.

“Thanks Tsukki.”

He hummed, getting up from his seat and continuing his walk towards home, Yamaguchi following after him with a more relaxed gait. 

Whatever he said must have calmed whatever was making Yamaguchi nervous. Then again, he had gotten used to Tsukishima’s way of speaking, finding reassurance where others might not. 

“So how are you feeling about that Nekoma school coming to play a match with us?”

Tsukishima shrugged at the question, indifferent to that as he was to most things that had to do with volleyball.

“I think it’ll give us an opportunity to see just how bad we are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it and took my warning to heart.
> 
> Thank you to everyone that's been leaving comments for me, it's very encouraging!


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